Is self-control like a muscle – the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets?

Until recently, the strength of my self-control has been a source of great pride for me. Over the past few months however, I've found that self-control declining…and the lack of posts on this blog is a prime example of that.

Thinking about this problem I came up with the hypothesis that perhaps self-control is like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets….the less you use it, the more it atrophies.

A quick Google search found this article on strengthening self-control, which supports the notion. 

It sounds like the solution to my problem therefore, is to identify opportunities to exercise my self-control and act on it. This means finding and undertaking activities that aren’t necessarily immediately gratifying, but are important and/or will benefit me in the long-run.

I really want to make strengthening my self-control a habit and as such, my goal (which I will assess each night) is to spend 21 consecutive days doing at least one activity that will strengthen my self-control (even if it’s as small as getting up without hitting snooze on the alarm).